Resting-state blink rate does not increase following very-light-intensity exercise, but individual variation predicts executive function enhancement levels.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Acute physical exercise, even at a very-light-intensity, potentiates prefrontal cortex activation and improves executive function. The underlying circuit mechanisms in the brain remain poorly understood, though we speculate a potential involvement of arousal-related neuromodulatory systems. Recently, our rodent study demonstrated that exercise, even at light-intensity, activates the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Resting-state spontaneous eye blink rate is linked to brain-arousal neural circuits, and potentially to those modulated by dopaminergic system. We hypothesized that neural substrates linked to resting-state eye blink rate contribute to the cognitive impact of acute very-light-intensity exercise.

Method

We analyzed data from a previous study with a renewed

SUBMITTER: Kuwamizu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11995553 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature